The Book of Hedge Druidry: A Complete Guide for the Solitary Seeker by Joanna van der Hoeven

Joanna van der Hoeven, a practicing Druid, has written an excellent introduction for anyone interested in creating their own similar spiritual path.

The book has four parts: Theory, Practice, Study, and Skills and Technique

The first part, Theory, discusses various aspects of Druidry including the mysterious Awen, the role of gods and ancestors, the three realms, the world tree, the wheel of the year, the cycles of the moon and more.

“Druidry is the quest to find our place in the world and to work in the world in balance and harmony.” pg 2

Photo by Felix Mittermeier on Pexels.com

I loved how the author presented this section, which could have been mammoth, very succinctly. She gives so many aspects of the practice because she’s encouraging readers to find the parts that work for them. You don’t have to embrace everything, only what speaks to you.

The second part, Practice, outlines various rites and rituals to incorporate one’s practice into daily life.

She talks about how the ancient practice of Druidry has been lost and how practitioners today are creating their own versions of what that might have looked like. I liked that she emphasizes that unbroken lineage doesn’t lend credence to the practice as much as personal exploration and empowerment. Again, she encourages readers to make these rituals their own.

“We don’t know what ancient Druids really did, nor do we wish to emulate them in every aspect. We seek to find out as much as we can and learn from it, thereby creating wisdom in our being.” pg 66

The third part, Study, looks into herblore, ogham (a type of alphabet that can be used like runes), and spellcraft. Practitioners are encouraged to study and learn these various topics in order to deepen their knowledge.

The final part, Skills and Technique, was the most interesting to me. In it, Joanna van der Hoeven discusses ethics, peace, voice, body and movement, as well as leadership roles.

I found the topics of ethics and peace to be timely.

“We cannot control how others behave. We only have control over how we behave in the world, how we act and react to others. We can lessen our reaction to others to a more intentional way of being through mindfulness of our thoughts, our bodies, and the world around us.” pg 296

Change ultimately starts at the individual level and goes from there. Thank you, Joanna, for the reminder.

Highly recommended for spiritual seekers who may be looking for an earth-based spiritual practice.

Maestros by Steve Skroce (Writer/Illustrator), Dave Stewart (Colorist), Fonografiks (Letterer)

When the Maestros and his entire extended family are killed in an inter-dimensional fight, the only part of the Wizard King’s bloodline remains with a young man named Will who was banished to Earth with his mother, Margaret.

Now as Will takes the throne, his enemies, and his father’s enemies, are on the move. Will he be able to retain power or, in these uncertain times, his life? We shall see.

The artwork of this series is amazing. From the colors to the style, each page has eye-catching illustrations. Well done, Steve Skroce!

This graphic novel is rated Mature and it is easy to see why. There’s nudity, graphic violence, and some depictions of torture. So, librarians, please categorize it correctly.

Despite its mature, and occasionally disturbing, elements, I enjoyed the story in this comic quite a lot. It is a fantasy-laden coming-of-age tale that asks the question: does absolute power corrupt absolutely?

Highly recommended for mature comic book readers. Thanks for reading!

Trance-Portation Learning to Navigate the Inner World by Diana L. Paxson

“The goal of this book is to teach skills that underlie the spiritual practices of a variety of traditions, from the ceremonial to the shamanic. But acquiring the ‘gifts of the spirit’ cannot be an end in itself. They have to be used.” pgs xv-xvi

Author Diana Paxson pulls from a variety of spiritual traditions in an effort to teach readers the basics of going into trance.

The first few chapters are about how to prepare yourself, set up cues for trance work, and to do the exercises “safely” which include setting up wards and how to come back out of trance.

“All of the senses can provide cues for psychic or magical work. By repetition, we condition ourselves to move into a particular state when we experience a specific stimulus.” pg 64

The next chapters delve into what practitioners may find once they’re in trance and how to navigate this other state of consciousness. This includes how one might find guides, how to behave, and how to deal with the various entities that may be encountered.

The final parts of the book tackle the difficult topic of spiritual emergencies and give some suggestions for group trance work.

Photo by Polina Tankilevitch on Pexels.com

Overall, this book covers a wide variety of topics that spiritual practitioners may need when they begin the practice of going into trance. In that way, it could be an invaluable addition to your library.

On the other hand, I didn’t agree with all of the advice given. It didn’t make sense with my experience of the trance work I’ve completed and I think it might scare beginners away.

The particular advice that I’m referring to is the idea that if you come out of trance too fast that you might leave parts of your soul behind, which you will then need to retrieve before you are able to feel like yourself again.

I understand, from the book, that soul retrieval is a common enough shamanic practice. Still, I feel like we are doing beginners a disservice to plant in their minds the idea that this is something that could happen.

Why not instead say it is best to come out of trance slowly and leave it at that? Anyone who falls asleep knows that it is more pleasant to wake up slowly than to be shaken to consciousness. Do we leave portions of ourselves behind when we’re jolted awake by an alarm clock? I say no.

Photo by Aphiwat chuangchoem on Pexels.com

In addition, when Paxson talks about the kinds of entities one may encounter in trance, including animal guides or even gods, she gives them all of the foibles that go along with being a part of the human race. In the section about developing a relationship with a god or goddess, she talks about how practitioners may have to deal with divine jealousy.

I think it might be better to say, you bring your entire self with you when you go into trance. Your strengths and failings are on full display in your interactions with what or who you find there. Again, this avoids planting any negative expectations for practitioners while still providing ample warning.

Recommended with reservations for spiritual seekers who are looking to add trance work to their repertoire.

Ecstasy Through Tantra by Jonn Mumford

Dr. Jonn Mumford takes the complex topic of tantra and attempts to translate it from its Eastern roots for the Western mind. He is somewhat successful, but gets bogged down in the history of tantra coming to the west as well as the etymology of tantric terms.

“The Tantrist seeks freedom (Moksha) through life (sensation, sentient, sensual) and not through escape (abstinence, abstaining, absence), using the body as an instrument of evolution.” pg 47

I think when Westerners consider tantra, they generally think about exotic sexual positions. This book tries to show that tantra is so much more than that.

Through the recognition of the divine in your partner, tantra can be a method of reaching divine states of being. I think it is more of a mindset than any particular exercise.

“The key secret of the Western tradition lies in the demonstration that the sexual function has deeper implications than procreation.” pg 30

Dr. Mumford provides a few rituals in this book so that readers can choose to practice some of his interpretations of tantra if they choose. He also includes illustrations of various chakras in order to encourage meditation upon the complex symbolism they contain. Through these practices, he says, one can begin to investigate the mystery that is tantra and the self.

“Although the major topic of this book has been sex magic and Tantric sexual practices, it must not be assumed that the whole of Tantra is concerned with these aspects. Tantra is the life science concerned with producing true individuals.” pg 122

I’m dubious about the efficacy of some of the exercises described in this book, like the practice of sucking ones bodily fluids back into oneself after expulsion. Maybe some of these things were meant to be metaphorical rather than literal? Who’s to say…

If you don’t allow yourself to be caught up in the strange (at least to my mind) details, there is some wisdom to be found in these pages. But the biggest problem of this book is that it tries to tackle too much.

It begins to do a comparison of witchcraft to tantra, which I feel could fill an entire book on its own. It also touches on similarities between tantra and western sex magic. Neither of these topics receive a thorough treatment, which was rather disappointing.

He also does a brief history of tantra coming to the west which I felt was over-simplified. History buffs might find that section off-putting.

However, if you’re looking for a brief introduction to tantra written for a Western audience, this might be a good place to start.

A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1) by Sarah J. Maas

Feyre lives in a world where the fae are beyond a wall that separates them from the mortal world. Years and years ago, according to the myths, a great war was fought and a boundary was drawn between the two races.

When Feyre shoots an enormous wolf that is more than what it appears, she is drawn into the world beyond the wall which operates under magic and an entirely different set of rules than the world she knows.

Will she survive?

I chose to read A Court of Thorns and Roses because of the millions of positive ratings it received on Goodreads. It is an engaging read, but I don’t think I enjoyed it as much as some other readers.

“… any bit of information might help, and if I showed interest in them, perhaps they would warm to me.” pg 79, ebook

I enjoyed the heroine’s discovery of the magical world. I really liked the different creatures and situations that she found there. The exploration part of the book was my favorite part.

I did not enjoy the romance portion of the book and felt like it slowed the action down to a crawl in the middle of the story. Also, this should not be rated as a young adult book. Some of the relationship and sexual elements mark it clearly as new adult, in my mind.

I get that this is a “Beauty and the Beast” re-telling, but there are very few similarities between the two stories. If you’re looking for a fairy tale re-telling, you might want to keep looking.

And, occasionally, I found the actions of the heroine to be infuriating. She made decisions based on no reasoning that I could understand- much like a spoiled teenager. I suppose some could argue that that is exactly what Feyre is, but it wasn’t much fun to read.

Recommended for any readers who are looking for a light fantasy mixed with a lot of romance. Thanks for reading!

The Empire of Gold (The Daevabad Trilogy, #3) by S.A. Chakraborty

Author S.A. Chakraborty brings her epic Daevabad Trilogy to an end with The Empire of Gold.

In the last book, we saw the fall of Daevabad and a new powerful leader, Manizheh, taking the throne with Dara, the ancient daeva, at her side.

“Dara was so sick of despairing over his fate, of guilt eating him alive. Now he was just furious. Furious at being used, at letting himself be used again and again.” pg 105, ebook

Meanwhile, Nahri and the prince Ali found themselves magically transported to the human realm of Cairo. Nahri knows they have to go back to the magical world to save not just their friends and family, but also the city of Daevabad itself. However, the charms of her old life make her want to stay and live as a healer.

She enjoys the peace while she can.

Ali is racked with guilt about the fall of his city and the loss of magic throughout the djinn’s world. He’s still struggling to learn how to control his strange new water magic. How can he use it to help save his people?

“How much of his life, all their lives and their histories, unraveled the more it was examined?” pg 392, ebook

I thought the conclusion to this series was magical. Chakraborty gives her huge cast of characters not only beautiful but fitting endings. She ties up every thread she’s woven through the story to give the reader a satisfactory experience.

I liked how the endings weren’t necessarily happy or perfect. Throughout her books, Chakraborty has painted a complex world where the characters aren’t all good or bad, but some mix of each. The conclusion stays with this method of storytelling and manages to feel somewhat real, despite all of the fantasy elements it contains.

“There is a time to fight, and you are all fierce warriors, students I am deeply proud of. But there is also a time to put down your weapons and make peace.” pg 701, ebook

Not only are these books morally complex, the cultures she’s created feel deep and true. In this book, readers get to enjoy the culture of Ali’s mother and learn much more about the prince’s special abilities.

I don’t want to say much more about it because discovering this storyline is so much fun. It was my favorite part of the book, which had so many wonderful moments to it.

Very highly recommended for fantasy readers. Thanks for reading!

The Kingdom of Copper (The Daevabad Trilogy, #2) by S.A. Chakraborty

Readers return to the magical world of the city of Daevabad in The Kingdom of Copper, the second book in the Daevabad trilogy.

This story begins a few years after the conclusion of the last book. Nahri has solidified her place in Daevabad with a strategic marriage. Ali has been exiled to a far land because of his actions in the previous book. And Dara, one of my favorite characters, finds himself in service to a djinn whom he believed was long dead.

… goodness has gotten me nowhere in Daevabad. Everyone I try to help ends up worse off.” pg 202, ebook

The characters continue to be neither right nor wrong in this entry in the series, but all end up in some gray place in-between. They all take actions that they believe are right and sometimes actions that they believe are necessary. Sometimes the outcome is good, but other times it turns out very, very badly.

I like that about this book. S.A. Chakraborty does a good job of distilling the messiness of life and the clash of four or five different cultures in one city. Even though this is a fantasy tale, I feel like this story could really happen, relationship-wise, out in the real world.

“You were created to burn, to exist between worlds- not to form yourself into armies and pledge your lives to leaders who would toss them away.” pg 396

Of all the storylines, I was most interested in Dara’s perspective and seeing where the author was going to take this ancient being who had suffered so much heartache in his past. That being said, I didn’t enjoy his part of the story.

He’s so passionate but he’s always being used and abused by the people around him. I’d like to see him having a bigger say over his life and who is around him. I suppose it remains to be seen in the third book if he is finally able to embrace the freedom that he longs for so badly.

I was fortunate that the entire series is published so I’m able to read the books one after another and am able to keep all of the intricacies of the story straight in my head. I can’t imagine having years between reading books in this series. It would be too hard to remember.

The build up of the story felt a little slow to me, especially in the middle of the book. But, towards the end, when things began happening, they all went at once. It made for a very exciting ending which I felt was well done for the large cast of characters.

Highly recommended for fantasy readers.

Thanks for reading!

The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy, #1) by S.A. Chakraborty

Nahri lives alone in Cairo and makes her daily bread by targeting gullible citizens and stealing. But one night, during a false ritual to free a young woman from an evil spirit, Nahri draws the attention of something magical and powerful, and her life is never the same again.

“I have made them both content, but the djinn is a strong one and has likely been with her since birth.” pg 20, ebook

Prince Alizayd al Qahtani, the second in line to the throne, lives in Daevabad. He works to better the lives of the humans who live there, along with the different tribes of djinn. This is perilous work as his father, the sultan, does not value human lives the same way.

“A city rose from the smoky map in Daevastana, in the center of a dark lake. Its walls gleamed like brass, beautiful against the dark sky.”

The City of Brass is told from Nahri and Ali’s points of view. It is a beautiful, multi-layered story that combines elements of Islam and magic.

At first, I had trouble keeping track of all of the different types of djinn. But, after about a quarter of the story, things clicked into place and I really enjoyed the tale.

“We’re souled beings like humans, but we were created from fire, not earth.” pg 101, ebook

From enslaved djinn to the evil ifrit, this story keeps the reader guessing what is going to happen next. There’s a lot of politics in here as well as a magical history that slowly unfolds as the tale progresses.

The characters are neither entirely good nor bad, but instead are a realistic shade of gray. Everyone, it seems, has committed actions they are not proud of, and cling to beliefs that may not necessarily serve them.

It makes for an engaging story as these warring beliefs bump into each other.

Highly recommended for fantasy readers. Thanks for reading!

Light Bringer (Red Rising Saga, #6) by Pierce Brown

Darrow continues the fight against the Society in Light Bringer, the sixth entry in the Red Rising Saga.

The last book focused on the war in the Core especially around Mercury. This book takes readers out to “the Rim” and examines what is going on in the deeper parts of space.

“Cut off from communication with the outside world, I have no way of knowing the course of the war I began. No way of knowing if Virginia and Victra have managed to weather the united power of the Golds of the Rim and the Core.” pg 3, ebook.

As usual, I loved Pierce Brown’s characters and pacing. His stories always seem to progress at a good clip and, after thousands of pages, I’m still invested in what is going on.

In this book, unlike the last, I feel like there were more light hearted moments. Dark Age, the previous book in the series, certainly lived up to its name.

“I have seen things a Red miner was never meant to see – unspeakable horrors, impossible beauty.” pg 6, ebook

That being said, as this series continues forward, I think Brown has killed off so many beloved characters that it is going to be hard for me to continue to care what happens. I felt the same way about Game of Thrones after a few books.

He’s introduced a few new characters whom I love, Lyria being the top of that list. But he couldn’t possibly replace some of the names- that I won’t list here because spoilers.

“I just think you’re a good man and you have a huge heart and I don’t think people say that enough.” pg 465, ebook

I’m curious what other readers of the series think. Overall, I think this is a masterful work of fantasy and I can’t wait for the last book which should be epic. Highly recommended for fantasy readers.

Thanks for reading!

The Help Desk Book Blog

Sharing reviews and deep thoughts about life.

Author: Heidi Wiechert

The Book of Hedge Druidry: A Complete Guide for the Solitary Seeker by Joanna van der Hoeven

Maestros by Steve Skroce (Writer/Illustrator), Dave Stewart (Colorist), Fonografiks (Letterer)

Trance-Portation Learning to Navigate the Inner World by Diana L. Paxson

Ecstasy Through Tantra by Jonn Mumford

A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1) by Sarah J. Maas

The Empire of Gold (The Daevabad Trilogy, #3) by S.A. Chakraborty

The Kingdom of Copper (The Daevabad Trilogy, #2) by S.A. Chakraborty

The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy, #1) by S.A. Chakraborty

Light Bringer (Red Rising Saga, #6) by Pierce Brown

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